How to stylise a personalised jumper: The British guide

Once reserved exclusively for PE class and as an unofficial weekend uniform, the jumper has been lately becoming a fashionable garment in its own right. For the past couple of seasons, we’ve seen on the runways of both men and women new revamped versions of the comfortable classic.

These are good news on several levels, first for those fashion lovers who can’t afford the full price of a suit or a designer dress, a jumper is a relatively affordable piece that allows them to buy into the brand. And for those who don’t mind that much about fashion, it means that they can wear a jumper more often! Depending on where you work, it might even be accepted for you to wear one at the office.

Jumpers are not only comfortable and keep you warm, they are a very versatile piece that much like the T-shirt is appropriate to almost every occasion depending on how you customise it.

Why should I do that?

There are two main reasons I can think of: one, you have an old jumper and want to give new life to it. Two, you would buy a designer garment, but can’t afford Givenchy prices. Interested?

How to customise a jumper: The User Guide

If you can’t spend £200 on a jumper, I don’t blame you (neither can I), there are still ways to wear the trend without going bankrupt. ‘Create the things you wish existed’ some say. If you can’t afford a particular model, then create it yourself (this applies to clothes, not cars). There’s no need to feel less-than. Many of today’s top fashion designers made their own clothes at some point. Coco Chanel started by sewing her own dresses at an orphanage.

There are many benefits to personalising your own clothes:

You get to wear something unique

You’ll create something that fits your body type

You get to be creative

You’ll save money

Potentially discover a new hobby, passion or even source of income

Grab an old jumper from your wardrobe or buy an inexpensive one from your favourite retailer and get started. Let’s take a look at the different ways you can personalise a jumper:

Printing

I can see you rolling your eyes from behind that cubicle. But what would you expect us to do? We’re a printing agency, after all, and printing is one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to customise a garment.

Slogans

Most of us have a quote we live by. We may choose to write it on a post-it, use it as a desktop wallpaper, or print it on a garment. Another option would be to pick a line from your favourite movie. Those tend to look cool, too. Once the text has been chosen, it’s time to select a font. This is important because an ugly typeface can ruin a design. Try typing your sentence on websites like dafont.com to see how it would look on different styles.

Wildfox jumper

Flat Designs

Flat designs normally refer to artworks that feature few layers of colours (around five at most). They allow designers to prepare the files in layers of curves instead of pixels which has the benefits of expanding the image without losing quality, unlike pixel based designs. The print pictured in the image above is a good example of a flat design.

Printed jumper by Givenchy

Textures and Patterns

Textures like leopard or snake skin can make a garment really stand out. Some consider them tacky, while others think they’re fashion forward. Whatever the case may be, it doesn’t really matter, because in the end it only matters if you like it.

Flowers… for spring? Groundbreaking.

As with any other spring season, flowers are pretty popular right now, for both men and women. So you may never go wrong with those. Other patterns that are trending are Tropical (Hawaiian), Americana (US flags, for example), animal prints, under the sea, Star Wars, and racing, among others. You’ll need a high-resolution image (at least 300 dpi) and a specialised type of printing technique like DTG in order to make this one work.

All-over printed jumper by Helmut Lang

Pictures

Much like textures, pictures need a high level of detail in order for them to look good. A high-resolution image is an absolute must, as well. You can choose one of your images, use one of your favourite celebrities or pick a portrait of nature like a landscape, flower or animal.

Jumper by Dsquared2

Cutting

By cutting fabric from the garment you may change its shape and turn it into a “trendier” piece. Jumpers with short sleeves are popular at the moment. Another popular one is the “worn” look which is also easy to pull off with a couple of tears here and there.

When cutting your piece, just remember to be very certain of the shape you’re going for because once it is cut, there is no going back. It is also important to keep in mind how you’re going to finish the hems. Are you going to sew them, or just leave them be? If you’re not particularly experienced with a sewing machine, you can always recruit someone more experienced, like your grandmother.

Embroidery

I once had a cool jumper with a logo of Hogwarts embroidered on it. I don’t know what happened to it. I really liked it. Anyway, embroidered jumpers are a thing now. Actually, the jumper Kenzo designed with their logo on it is being held as one of the main culprits of this growing jumper trend. Embroidering requires a higher set of skills than printing and embellishing. It is a technique that has a very long history and only those who’ve mastered the art of the thread of the needle (and/or the machine) can pull it off. If you want to embroider a jumper, but can’t be trusted near a sewing kit (I can’t either) then I’d suggest hiring a professional, or again, recruiting grandma.

Embroidered jumper by Kenzo

Adding

Athleisure is a word that has been on the lips of fashion bloggers for a while now. Ask Beyoncé if you don’t believe me. I bring that up because a good way to bring that jumper to next level would be to add a mesh fabric to it. Cut the sweatshirt halfway through and add the fabric to show your midriff. Sure, if you don’t want to show the most flattering part of your body you can always add other kinds of materials, like lace or ribbon, to the shoulders, chest and lower half.

Moschino jumper with an added bow

Embellishing

Designers love to jazz-up or “add bling” to their designs. The good news about embellishing is that it is relatively easy to do, (it takes time, but it is simple) and it isn’t necessarily expensive. Of course, if you want to embellish your jumper with Swarovski crystals then, by all means, be might guest, but there are cheaper ways of going about it. Again, not everyone can embroider clothing, it requires a special type of talent. You can always recruit your local seamstress, or again, your grandma who should be on speed dial by now.

Mix

Print, cut, sew and bead that thing. It may sound like a headache, but when done correctly a mixture of techniques can create a powerful and beautiful impact.

Cuban-fit patch-appliqué sweatshirt by Givenchy

Online resources

On the Internet you’ll also find websites that allow you to design a jumper in whichever way you want (always between the limits of the tools, of course) and then they’ll send it straight to your home. This is an interesting choice to keep in mind and it is perfect for gifts — not to mention that some of the creative tools are quite addictive.

Printsome

Shelfies

Personally, I find it terrifying but I can see the appeal of it. And it would be an amazing Secret Santa gift.

Bow & Drape

A platform that allows you embellish t-shirts, jumpers and many other items with sequinned letters and emojis. It’s flirty, girly and fun.

I designed this one myself. Do you like it? It’s called “Friday Night”

Unmade

This British brand offers different ways to personalise garments. One of them allow you to manipulate a mesh to create different effects while others look like a sprayed paint that changes depending on the direction, but my favourite one is the pattern that changes depending on the words you type in.

The pattern allows you to type in “any” word

Apliiq

Not technically jumpers, I know, but it is still wicked. Apliiq let’s you customise hoodies in any way that you want. Recommended for skaters who’re into patterns.

Mama Ru would be proud of this one.

Final Words

Is a DIY jumper something you’d be interested in? Then give it a try. Buy a cheap jumper (for as little as £8 on Primark) and start experimenting. It might sound cheesy, but in order to personalise a jumper all you need is your imagination. Keep in mind the trends and resources you have at your disposal and start creating. Who knows? You might end up with a cool garment that will become the envy of your friends.

Got more tips on how to personalise a jumper? Then send them my way, leave a comment below or join the conversation through any of our social media outlets. For more awesome content, keep reading the Printsome Blog.

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